On August 13, The Other is taking over The Chocolate Factory in Brooklyn for Summer Extravaganja—a celebration of its incoming Summer 2026 issue, and its first-ever Arts Issue.
The evening will bring together live music, performances, cannabis education, visual art, body art, tattoos, floral installations, and numerous opportunities to connect. More than a traditional magazine launch, Extravaganja is designed as a multi-floor experience that reflects the creative communities at the heart of The Other.
To get a better sense of what went into this year’s celebration, we caught up with founder Ranch Guerra. Guerra discussed the inspiration behind the event, the artists he’s bringing together, and what attendees can expect to find across The Chocolate Factory’s three floors.
“Our Summer 2026 Issue is The Other’s first Arts Issue, so we knew that we wanted Extravaganja to showcase New York performers and artists that we love,” Guerra told The Emerald. “With some major cannabis conferences and events going down in the fall, we knew that mid-Summer was gonna be a perfect time for a big party in Brooklyn.”
And a big party it is.
What To Expect at Summer Extravaganja
Hosted by Sanja Ganja and produced by Work N Roll NYC, the night will move across several floors of The Chocolate Factory. On the main stage, Olio and Woodstock will present a lineup of live music featuring C2C at 6 p.m., Free Whenever at 7 p.m., Dee Diggs at 8 p.m., and Starfox and the Fleet at 9 p.m. Viper Vaudeville will also present a special performance of Plant of the People at 7:45 p.m.
The programming is intentionally expansive. Guerra’s approach to event production comes from years of experiencing music and festival culture in different forms. His influences range from concerts in dark rooms to multi-day festivals that incorporated DJs, bands, visual art, movement, VJs, and immersive brand activations.
“I grew up attending all kinds of music concerts in dark rooms and experiencing all the audible beauty that has to offer,” Guerra says. “In the mid 2000s I started attending music festivals where DJs and all kinds of bands would share a billing.”
That experience eventually led him to manage LostinSound.org, a festival culture media group. That’s where he encountered events that blurred the lines between music, art, movement, and community. When Guerra began producing cannabis events in Denver in 2016, he carried that same philosophy with him.
“We are communing with one another and expanding our consciousness, so art and music gotta be a part of that!” he says.
Three Floors, Three Experiences
On the first floor, attendees can explore cannabis brands and activations, along with Higher Function and Rythm’s concentrate station. The second floor shifts into a more visual and interactive experience, featuring Jarid Blue’s Light Bath Photobooth, sponsored by Jetty, alongside body art by Tash and a lounge space designed for slowing down and taking in the atmosphere.
Blissin Out will curate a chill space on the third floor, while artists Felipe Umbral and Majo San host a flash tattoo and art station. Floral installations by Larkspur Botanicals and VJ work by Imma Musica will add even more visual texture throughout the evening.
For Guerra, the layout of The Chocolate Factory is part of what makes this year’s event especially exciting.
“The Chocolate Factory allows attendees to explore different floors and get different experiences, so I am most excited about how that will leave folks feeling,” he says.
That sense of discovery is fitting for an event centered around an arts-focused issue. Rather than keeping the magazine launch contained to a single stage or room, Extravaganja invites guests to wander. Attendees can stumble across something unexpected, take a break, meet someone new, and experience the night at their own pace.
It also reflects the increasingly interconnected worlds of New York’s cannabis, nightlife, and creative communities. Here, cannabis isn’t treated as a standalone element of the evening, but as part of a larger cultural experience built around music, art, conversation, and community.
See You There
Doors open at 6 p.m., with live music, performances, art activations, cannabis experiences, and more continuing throughout the evening.
The Arts Issue itself reflects a similar movement between visual art, fashion, music, cannabis, and culture. It includes a cover by multidisciplinary artist and designer Rachel Port alongside features on artists turning trash into wearable art, Wolf Stoner Queen, the relationship between cannabis and creativity, and the role of music in building community. The issue also includes product reviews, retail profiles, and pieces examining the evolving cannabis landscape.
Come for the magazine. Stay for the music, art, tattoos, light baths, lounges—and whatever is to be discovered on the next floor.
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